NAME___________________________________
Period_______
Review for Test—Catastrophic Events, Texas Ecoregions,
Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition
1.. What are the three categories of catastrophic events? Weather, geologic, or human
2. How does a wildfire make erosion in an area worse? The fire burns off all the vegetation
and without the plant’s roots to hold the soil down, erosion takes place very easily and
quickly.
3. What type of weathering is ice wedging? Mechanical or physical
Freezing and thawing of water between rocks=ice wedging
4. What three processes are constantly reshaping and changing Earth? Weathering,
erosion, and deposition
5. How many ecoregions does Texas have? 12
Using your catastrophic booklet or (Pre-Ap) your Gallery walk notes, fill in the chart.
Event
Main Features
Category-weather,
geologic, human
Where likely to
occur
weather
Hurricane
Forms over warm
ocean water, with
high winds, an eye,
and an eye wall
Over warm ocean
water and will likely
hit coastal areas
Fueled by dry air
and vegetation,
moved by wind, can
destroy 1000’s of
acres of land
Weather if by
lightening or by
human carelessness
Anywhere where it
is dry and has plenty
of trees and other
vegetation
Created by
underwater
earthquakes,
landslides, volcanic
geologic
Along coast lines
and where
earthquake and
volcanic activity
Wildfire
Tsunami
eruptions—huge
wave height and
speed
occur.
Using the class set of Texas cities, ecoregions, and data table, answer the following
questions.
6. Name the 3 Texas cities most likely to be impacted by frequent wildfires. El Paso,
Midland, and Odessa
7. Name 2 cities in north Texas most likely to be impacted by earthquakes. Amarillo and
Lubbock
8. Which type of catastrophic event is the most common across the state of Texas?
Wildfires
9. In what area (north, south, east, or west) would you expect to experience the highest
number of tornados? north
10. Which type of catastrophic event do Texans NOT have to worry about? volcanoes
Look at each statement and determine if it is an example of weathering, erosion, or
deposition. Write either weathering, erosion, or deposition in the blank.
11. water freezing and thawing in rock cracks and breaking them apart-- weathering
12. rain washing away soil from a hillside--erosion
13. deltas forming at the mouths of rivers--deposition
14. ponds filling up with sediment and becoming marshes--deposition
15. flood water wearing down a canyon wall--weathering
16. wind blowing sand from one location to another--erosion
17. waves dropping sand on the beach--deposition
18. caves formed by acid rain dissolving underground limestone--weathering
19. flood water moving soil from one location to another--erosion
Read this and answer the following questions.
In a river there are several different sizes of sediment and rock. The sizes range from sand
size, to gravel size, to small rock, to medium size rock, and to large size rock.
20. Which size sediment or rock will be picked up and moved first when the river first
begins to flow? The smallest, in this case, the sand
21. Which size sediment will be deposited first when the river meets the ocean and slows
down? The largest, in this case, the large size rock.
22. What is the name of the Ecoregion San Antonio is in? South Texas Brush/Plains
23. What is San Antonio’s source of water? Edward’s Aquifer
24. What is the largest watershed in the United States? Mississippi River Basin
25. What is the difference between mechanical and chemical weathering? Mechanical
weathering is the physical force that breaks a rock. Chemical weathering is the wearing away
of rock by oxidation or dissolving by acid
26. Explain what a watershed is. An area of land that drains runoff into a particular stream,
lake, ocean or other body of water.
27. How are the boundaries of watersheds determined? By elevation.
28. Watersheds are connected by all the highest points in the area and determine the
direction in which water flows when it hits the ground.
29. What does the term riparian habitat imply? A habitat that is near a river, lake, stream or
body of water.
30. What is the difference between porosity and permeable? Permeability is a measure of the
ability of water to flow through rock and sediment. Porosity is when an object is full of pores,
tiny spaces and can hold water.
31. How do humans impact groundwater and surface water negatively? Give 3 examples and
explain each of them. Answers will vary
32. How humans impact groundwater and surface water positively? Give 3 examples and
explain each of them. Answer will vary
33. Give 3 examples of surface water. Lake, rivers, oceans, streams, ponds